This invention relates to fused tricyclic lactams and derivatives thereof which are useful as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and as antihypertensives.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,520 discloses benzofused bicyclic lactams which are useful as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,496 discloses bicyclic lactams which are also useful as ACE inhibitors and wherein the five membered ring contains a sulfur atom. Neither of these patents suggests the tricyclic lactam compounds of this invention nor that such compounds would be useful as ACE inhibitors and as antihypertensives.